For months, I've weighed the pros and cons of SU's offer. If I take SU's deal, I'll have to turn myself into a full-blown distributor, without being able to reap the easy benefits of licensing my mark, which was my plan all along.

Since New York City is a four hour drive from campus, a licensing deal is the easiest way for me to profit and move the business along. Keep in mind, I have a full-time job, and this was always meant to be a side business; an initial entrepreneurship endeavor.

After all, if I can't master a T-shirt company, what on earth can I possibly accomplish as an entrepreneur? My thinking is not much, which is downright depressing.

While I debate the school's less-than-compelling offer, I've been selling women's and children's clothing online and getting a few sales per month. Still, it's not as many as I could be selling if I could work with the university. Plus, without an agreement from the school, I'm afraid to use the colors blue and orange, which would sell the shirts 100X better (seeLSU vs Smack Apparel, it ruled colors in the school's favor).

I know getting the shirts in the bookstore is the key. And I know there's interest. The bookstore buyer told me she wants to carry Syracutie clothes, but I have to work out a deal with the university first.

And it's not budging.

I've tried local, non-university affiliated stores too, but they're all scared of the university. If they enrage SU, their profits will all but vanish. In the town of Syracuse, the school wields all the power.

Until I agree to cave to the university, I am being silenced to death. I've sent at least a dozen emails and made numerous phone calls, all of which have been ignored by the school's lawyer. When I reach out to Dan now, he says he's unable to speak with me for legal reasons.

Another opportunity has presented itself though. I've received a verbal offer outside of the university for my trademark. We've discussed a flat cost, plus a small life-time royalties percentage. This certainly would be the easiest route to take, but then I would feel like I hadn't done any work, and hadn't really grown a business myself.

By now, I've received my beautiful, official, trademark certificate in the mail. But it doesn't make me as happy as I thought I would, because I am truly stumped about the future of my business.

Do I sell my company in its very early state and in a sense admit defeat? Do I give the university my trademark and become the sole licensor? Or do I hold strong and keep trying to sell Syracutie myself?